2. Using White Vinegar

Vinegar is a versatile substance and can be used to replace many commercial home and garden chemicals - glyphosate being one of them. Vinegar is a safer and cheaper alternative to these harmful chemicals, not to mention better for the environment.

To help get rid of notorious weeds, I'd confidently recommend 30% Vinegar Concentrate which is effective, yet non-toxic.

However, you should dilute it to about 15% before using a pump sprayer to target the unwanted weeds.

Spray some vinegar on the affected areas of your garden and you will be happy to see the weeds dead just a couple of days later.

Their roots can wither even if you use pickling liquid, but if you are determined to kill naturally the strong and long taproots of the invaders, vinegar is the perfect solution.

Make sure to use on a wind free day and you’re set!

3. Red Dragon Weed Torch

Weed dragon garden torch kit helps eliminate the risk of chemical residue and run-off, making your lawn and garden safe for your family and pets.

Designed for home owners or landscapers who don't need the power of a farm torch, this handy tool helps keep your lawn and garden weed free and reduces the need for mowing or chemical use in hard-to-reach places.

In fact, the 23-inch handle length and 10-foot gas hose make it a snap to reach every corner of your yard or garden so you can aim precisely and get optimum coverage exactly where you need it.

4. Pasture Cropping

It’s a way to grow grains in symbiosis with the perennial grasses of a native grassland.

So the idea is to not plow or spray herbicides of any type, and do “weed control” with a careful mowing/grazing and planting schedule.

It’s a bit more advanced scientifically than the current antiquated forms of industrial agriculture.

And it is a bit trickier to learn how to do it.

But the results speak for themselves. More productivity by far (producing both a grain crop and forage for livestock) and at the same time improving the soil rather than degrading it, all on minimal inputs!

It is even an AGW mitigation technique sequestering 5–20 tonnes CO2e / ha / yr into the long term carbon cycle!

5. Thick Cover Crop and a Roller-Crimper

My second favorite glyphosate alternative is a thick cover crop and a roller-crimper to make a thick weed suppressing mulch that weeds find difficult to germinate through.

8. Judicious Use of Glyphosate

*Some contributors still insisted on usingglyphosate although in a judicious manner*

Below is such a contribution;

There are many alternatives herbicides - just that none are as effective or as cheap. Cheap not only in the product cost itself, but in the ease of application and longevity of the result.

I might spray glyphosate twice a year - with a backup of one spray of glyphosate.

On the other hand I might have to use a monthly spray (during the growing season) of a paraquat type chemical; or one application of an amitrol backed up with four or five paraquat applications.

Alternatively, depending on the weed profile, I might use one of the selective “grass” herbicides (twice a year), but that would also mean that I’d have to repeat the application with an herbicide specific to the broadleaf weeds.

Some of these latter chemicals are not compatible with some food crops and can damage them severely.

We used to do all these things - which was why when “Roundup” became available our farming became so much simpler.

16. Competition

Apply this principle to your landscaping and design your garden in a way that will create natural competition between your plants and the weeds.

Make sure you pick flowers and herbs that will consume the resources like water, sunlight and nutrients faster than the invaders.

This way you will stimulate the natural extermination of weeds without having to do anything else to kill them.

The healthier and richer your garden is, the fewer weeds you will have to worry about.

Choose the method which is best for your situation and deal with the unwelcome weeds once and for all.

After you manage to exterminate them, take as much advantage of them as you can. Use the weeds to make compost for your garden or include the edible ones (yes, a lot of weeds are edible) in your salads and meals.

Chicory, dock or dandelions can substitute spinach in many recipes.

However, in case you cannot identify which weeds are edible and which are not, it will be better not to experiment.

Some sprouts may even be poisonous, so dispose of them safely in case you are not 100 % sure you can consume or utilize them in some other way.

Conclusion

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the discussion on online gardening communities for helping us to put this list together.

I learned about a few cool new roundup alternatives myself!

We aim to keep this list evergreen and regularly updated.

So if you feel we’ve missed any great glyphosate alternative when putting this list together, you can suggest them for inclusion in the comments.

[Full disclosure: I will get a small commission at no extra cost on your part if you buy any product using some of the link(s) in this post].